The present invention pertains generally to conventionally-known, automatic drip-type coffee makers. Such coffee makers typically include a reservoir for water, a heating element to heat the water, and a container or basket ("brew funnel") adapted to hold the coffee (generally in a filter) and to receive the heated water. The heated water is allowed to drip onto and "wet" the coffee in the container. The brewed coffee is drained from the container through an aperture located at the bottom thereof into a decanter.
With the public popularity of tea as an alternative or substitute for coffee, it has become desirable to provide an automatic machine which is capable of brewing coffee and/or tea. Existing drip coffee makers however provide less than satisfactory results if loose tea or tea bags are used therewith. One reason is that tea, unlike coffee, must be steeped to produce a satisfactory beverage. A second reason is that automatic drip coffee makers are simply not designed for brewing or steeping tea. In this respect, the basket or brew funnels of drip coffee makers are specifically designed to develop a head of water such that the coffee therein is wetted (submerged) by the water. This head of water is dependent upon the rate the brewed coffee drains from the funnel during the brewing cycle, as well as upon the rate at which the hot water is introduced into the funnel. Importantly, the drain rate is a function of a number of factors which create a resistance to flow. Some of these factors, such as the configuration and physical dimensions of the brew funnel (e.g. flow channels, drain hole size etc.) are constant, while other factors such as the grind of the coffee (coarseness or fineness), the water hardness and the porosity of the filter paper used therein are variables. With respect to the variable factors, tea is completely unlike coffee in its wetting characteristics. Thus, machines designed for coffee in many instances do not produce the desired head of water in the brew funnel when tea is used therein. This is especially true when tea bags are used and the tea bags are placed or shift away from (i.e. do not cover) the drain aperture.[.,.]..Iadd.; .Iaddend.in such situations the drain aperture is unobstructed and the drain flow rate substantially increases, which in turn reduces the head of water in the basket. Thus, for the aforementioned reasons, making tea in drip coffee makers known heretofore in many instances produces less than optimum results.
The present invention overcomes the aforementioned problems, and provides an appliance for brewing coffee or tea, which appliance includes a brew funnel which maintains a specific water head regardless of the characteristics of the materials to be brewed or used therein.